thorny

英 [ˈθɔːni]

美 [ˈθɔːrni]

adj.  棘手的; 麻烦的; 引起争议的; 有刺的; 多刺的

最高级：thorniest　比较级：thornier　

TOEFLGREIELTS

Collins.1 / BNC.18411 / COCA.13200

牛津词典

adj.

• 棘手的；麻烦的；引起争议的
  causing difficulty or disagreement
  1. a thorny question/issue/problem
     棘手的问题
• 有刺的；多刺的
  having thorns
  1. a thorny bush
     有刺的灌木

柯林斯词典

• ADJ (植物、树木)带刺的，多刺的
  Athornyplant or tree is covered with thorns.
  1. ...thorny hawthorn trees.
     长满刺的山楂树
• ADJ-GRADED (问题)棘手的，复杂难解的，令人头疼的
  If you describe a problem asthorny, you mean that it is very complicated and difficult to solve, and that people are often unwilling to discuss it.
  1. ...the thorny issue of immigration policy...
     移民政策这个棘手问题
  2. It is essential that we tackle this thorny problem.
     我们很有必要处理这个棘手问题。

英英释义

adj

• having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.
  1. a horse with a short bristly mane
  2. bristly shrubs
  3. burred fruits
  4. setaceous whiskers
  Synonym:barbedbarbellatebriarybrierybristledbristlyburredburrypricklysetosesetaceousspiny
• bristling with perplexities
  1. the thorny question of states' rights

双语例句

• In most of the developed world, immigration is a thorny problem; it must be curbed and controlled.
  时过境迁，在大多数发达国家，移民已成为一个棘手的问题：对它必须加以限制和控制。
• The concept has fascinated security experts, but there are thorny technical problems.
  这个理念令安全专家深深着迷，但其中也存在棘手的技术难题。
• Thorny issues such as women's role in agriculture and land tenure rights must also be tackled.
  还必须解决女性在农业中的作用以及土地权等棘手的问题。
• The thorny problem of what happens when the boss is absent.
  老板不在时情况会怎样这一棘手问题。
• The Volvo sale also raises some thorny issues for Ford.
  出售沃尔沃也给福特带来了一些棘手的问题。
• Race relations in the US continue to be a thorny problem. Racism remains a touchy issue.
  美国的种族关系一直是棘手的问题。种族主义可是个要小心处理的问题。
• Like the rest of Europe, they also face the thorny issues of immigration and integration.
  与欧洲其他国家一样，它们也面临移民和一体化等棘手问题。
• Now we come to the thorny question of cost.
  现在我们来讨论成本这个棘手的问题。
• Its relations with international rulemakers can be thorny: think of the World Trade Organisation.
  美国与国际规则制定者之间的关系常常很棘手：例如和世界贸易组织。
• In a specification of hundreds of pages, consistency is a thorny problem.
  在一部有着数百页的规格说明里，一致性是一个棘手的问题。